Fastener for women&#39;s handbags and other articles



A. ILLSCHE Jan. 16, 1940.

FASTENER FOR WOMEN'S HANDBAGS AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed Dec. 31, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 16, 1940. A HE 2,187,605

FASTENER FOR WOMEN'S HANDBAGS AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed Dec. 51,1938 2 sheets-sheet 2 Ffg .5

v Patented Jan. 16, 1940 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENER FOR WOMEN'S HANDBAGS AND OTHER ARTICLES Arthur Illsche, Rye, N. Y.

Application December 31, 1938, Serial No. 248,817

7 Claims. (01. 292 -251) The present invention, while applicable to serve and a half and gradually tapering to zero divarious purposes and not limited to any particumensions. lar or special use, is herein embodied, for con- While the members may be produced in more venience of illustrating a practical application, or less solid form, it avoids unnecessary weight 5 as a closure fastening for women's hand-bags of and givesthem increased strength and durability, well known types when constructed in shell form from sheet metal Spring catches of various kinds, including snap and makes conveniently available integral mafasteners, are extensively employed to hold such terial at the larger end, for use in mounting or sebags closed but are unsatisfactory and objectioncuring the members in position for use.

able for a number of reasons, prominent among The detail structure and application of the de- 1.

which may be mentioned first, weakening of the vice as a closure fastening for womens handspring action of the catches and resulting inbags, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings security of the fastening; and second, damage to throughout the several views of which, likereferthe bag flap, resulting from its use as a conence characters indicate like parts.

ll venient gripping means to force snap fasteners In the drawings- 1. into engagement and tear them apart. Fig. l is a perspective View showing the fastener My improved fastening avoids the above menapplied to a womans hand-bag, in which a flap tioned and other objections in operating efextension of the body material serves as a closure fectively without the aid of spring action, being for the bag.

non-resilient throughout and consisting of twin Fig.2 is a similar view showing the applica members, provided with specially formed screwtion of the fastener to a different type of bag, in threads, by which engagement and disengagewhich a two-part metal frame with the parts ment is greatly simplified and made possible by hinge-connected and closing against each other, rotation through less than a complete revolution. is secured to the mouth of the bag as a closure for As mounted for use, the fastener members are the same.

self-centering and enterable one into the other in Fig. 3 is a similar showing of another type of nestedrelatlon, preparatory to being interlocked. hinged metal frame, in which the frame parts The operation of locking or unlocking the memclose in overlapping relation and the fastener hers is accomplished in asimple and easy manner mounting is modified to permit opening and 80 and without effort, by giving one of the members closing of the overlapping parts.

about a half turn, which results in either full Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view, on an enlarged and secure engagement or complete disengagescale, through the upper portion of the bag and ment, depending upon whether the member is centrally of the fastener, showing the bag open turned towards the right or left. and the fastener members disengaged. This view 88 The form given the members and the thread illustrates the form and mounting of the fasthereon, is such that they freely enter one withtoner as applied to the bags shown in Figs. 1 in the other to nearly their full depth, preparaand 2.

tory to interlocking and being thus closely as- Fig. 5 is a similar view of the modified form sociated, a half turn of either member serves to and mounting of the fastener shown in Fig- 3. fully engage the threads. Fig. 6 is a top plan view, on an enlarged scale, 40

In outline, the members are of frustro-conical 0f 9 i @Stener members, and form, the length or height being preferably less 7 a in side elevation ther e11fthan the base diameter, with the thread extend- Refel'nng now to awings, the fastener ing from the base to the top. The above procogsistsl of l f male. membel: I and a portions give the members great strength and by 8 mem 1 t engagmg portmns of th u of a Special form of ratchet thread quick which are of frustro-comcal form and practically engagement a d disengagement upon identtical and fiilterctlliangeable, one being the coun er-par o e o 181.

as .0 sown,areinse orman n n' so narrow face, tapers throughout its length. Start- 8 shaped up from sheet metal, integral material at the larger in; at the base of the frustro-comcal member, end of the cone becomes available for Various,

with its broad face equalling approximately oneuses, such, for example, as a bearing 3 for t quarter the base diameter of the cone, the thread male member and attaching spurs 4 for th i u spirals upward, reaching the top in about a turn male member. (See Fig. 4.)

10 the cone, there is a ratchet-thread formation 5 of approximately a turn and a half. The width of s the broad face 6 of the thread, at the base of the cone, is about equal to one-quarter the base diameter and tapers upward to zero dimensions at II the top.

This coarse tapering ratchet thread, spiralling upward a turn and a half or so, with a gradually reducing radius, when in nesting relation with its counter-part, will enter into full interlocked engagement therewith upon being given a slight turnof about half a revolution.

While rotation of either member would serve to bring about engagement or disengagement, I preferably provide for rotatably mounting the male member and non-rotatably securing the female member in cooperating relation.

Projecting from the base of the frustro-conical portion of the male member, there is a fixed center pin or stud shaft 1, which is fitted to turn U in a suitable bearing, as hereinafter described, and has a knob 8, plain or ornamented, and of suitable shape removably attached to its outer end, by means of which the male member is rotated.

The use of the above described device as a closure fastening for women's hand-bags, is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, in which several bags, of types now in common use, are shown.

In Fig. 1, an extension flap 9 of the body III, serves as a closure for the bag and isordinarily reinforced or otherwise stiffened to cause it to have practically the same action, in closing, as if it were hinged to the bag body. That is to say; it is self-positioning in closing to bring the fas- 45 tening members employed to secure it, into proper relation for engagement.

In applying my fastener to a bag of this type, the male member I is rotatably mounted in a metal eyelet or grummet ll of the flap 9 and the female member- 2 is non-rotatably secured by its attaching spurs in an opening in the body of the bag the flap overlaps, when closed. The above described self-positioning action of the flap in closing, serves, in the use of my fastener, 56 to bring the members i and 2 thereof into centered nested relation, preparatory to interlocking and simplifies and reduces the interlocking operation to merely giving the member I about a half turn, as previously pointed out.

00 In applying the fastener to the metal frame elements l2, l2, of the bag shown in Fig. 2, in which the frame elements are hinged together at l3, and close one against the other, a fastener member is mounted on each frame element so 65 that as the frame elements are brought together to close the bag, one fastener member will enter in centered nested relation within the other, preparatory to interlocking, in precisely the same manner as described in reference to operation 70 of the fastener applied to the bag shown in Figs.

1 and 4. The interlocking of the fastener members is then effected, again as in Figs. 1 and 4, by giving the male fastener member a partial turn. For convenience in turning the member,

I a short lever 8, plain or ornamental, is substituted for the knob shown in Fig. i, otherwise the fasteners in Figs. 1 and 2 are identical.

Where structural elements come into overlapping relation, as, for example,the metal frame. elements M, I of the bag shown in Figs. 3 and I 5, provision is made for withdrawing the male fastener member bythe action of a spring- II, encircling its shaft 1", into a cylindrical casing l6, to provide clearance for the opening and closing of the overlapping frame elements. T0 10 engage the fastener members in this form of the mounting, the knob or cap 8 of the male member, which is shown telescoping on the cylindrical casing [8, must be pressed downward, against the action of the spring, and given a partial 18 It will be noted that when engaged, there is no tendency of the fastener members to become disengaged and security is thus insured against accidental opening of the bag and loss of the 80 contents. Another feature that specially adapts the device for use on women's hand-bags, is that it is small and entirely concealed from view, excepting only the ornamental knob or the like, for turning the male member.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A two-member fastener, the engaging portions of the members being tapered-and terminating in a blunt end, the said tapered portions being proportioned to freely enter one into the 80 other in self-centering nested relation without interlocking, cooperating screw-threads on the members of such form that relative rotation through a partial revolution will cause full interlocking engagement of the nested members, and 85 a two-part mounting for the fastener members, the two parts of the mounting being relatively movable to position the fastener members for interlocking engagement.

2. A two-member fastener, the engaging por- 40 tions of the members being tapered and terminating in a blunt point, the said'tapered portions being proportioned to freely enter one intothe other in self-centering nested relation without interlocking, cooperating screw-threads on the a members of such form that relative rotation through a partial revolution will cause full interlocking engagement of the nested members, and a two-part mounting for the fastener members, one part having one fastener member rotatably mounted thereon and the other part having the other fastener member non-rotatably secured thereto, the two parts of the mounting being relatively movable to position the fastener members for interlocking engagement.

3. A two-member fastener for hand-bags and other articles, the engaging portions of the members being of tapered form flattened at the smaller end and of a length less than the base diameter, such engaging portions being proporw tioned to freely enter, one within the other in self-centering nested relation before interlocking, and cooperating screw-threads on the tapered portion of the members engageable by relative rotation of the nested members, the said coopc5 crating screw-threads each consisting of a spiral formation of less than two turns with one face of the thread increasing in width throughout its length to a. breadth at the base of the tapered portion of the member of approximately onequarter the base diameter.

4. A two-member fastener for hand-bags and other articles, the engaging portions of the members being of tapered form flattened at the smaller and and of a length less than the base,

diameter, such engaging portions being proportioned to freely enter, one within the other in self-centering nested relation before interlocking, and cooperating screw-threads on the tapered portion of the members engageable by relative rotation of the nested members, the said cooperating screw-threads each consisting of a spiral formation of less than two turns with one face of the thread narrow throughout its length and the other face increasing in width to a breadth at the base of the tapered portion of the member of approximately one-quarter the base diameter.

5. A fastener member provided with a tapered portion terminating in a blunt end and having a spiral thread formation thereon extending throughout the tapered portion of the member, the length of the said tapered portion being approximately half the diameter of the base thereof and the spiral thread thereon approximately one and one-half turns in length, the formation being such that full and complete engagement with the thread of a counter-part member is eflected on rotation through less than a complete revolution.

6. A fastener member provided with a tapered portion of a length less than the base diameter and terminating in a blunt end and a, spiral thread formation thereon extending throughout the tapered portion of the member, the spiral thread being developed from zero dimensions at the smaller and of the tapered portion of the member and gradually enlarged throughout its length to a face width at the larger end of approximately a quarter the diameter of the larger end, the formation being such that full and complete engagement with the thread of a counterpart member is eflected on rotation through less than a complete revolution.

7. A two-member fastener as defined in claim 3, in which the fastener members are twin truncated cones of shell form integrally extended at their larger ends to provide bearing and attaching elements.

ARTHUR ILLSCHE. 

